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About residential care

When you can no longer manage in your own home, you can move into a rest home or hospital. Your doctor, other health professionals, your family or whānau often help you decide where to move to and when.

Who can move into residential care

There are 2 main groups of people who move into residential care:

people aged 65 and older who can no longer manage in their own homes — some people call this ‘aged care’

people aged between 50 and 64 who have a disability or illness which means they need 24-hour care.

If you’re under 50 and have major health or disability problems, in some circumstances you may be able to move into residential care. Talk to your doctor or healthcare team for further advice.

Steps to moving into residential care

You need to make decisions about:

the kind of care and services you need

which rest home or hospital you would prefer to live in

how you’ll pay for it.

The first step is to get a needs assessment through your local District Health Board (DHB) to work out what level of care you need. You don’t have to do this, but if you don’t you:

can’t apply for financial help from the government

may have to pay more than the weekly amount set by the government for residential care in your region

can have difficulty finding a place in a rest home — many homes won’t let you move in unless you’ve had a needs assessment first.

Getting help with decisions

Often you need to make these decisions at a time when you’re not well. Getting good information and involving those close to you can make the move easier. Once you’ve moved into a rest home or hospital, you may not be able to return to your home.